Emotional power of 'then' and 'now'
In the past two weeks, Huang Xizhen has visited the Capital Museum three times. Yes, she has a discount pass for the retired, but she was motivated more by wanting to meet someone she didn't know in person but whose work has touched her.
That person is William Lindesay, who was instantly recognized when he walked into the first-floor exhibition hall on a recent Tuesday morning. Huang approached him, as if meeting a rock star: "I've watched the short documentary video, so I figured it must be you, Mr Lindesay."
Huang Xizhen, the 61-year-old three-time visitor to The Great Wall Revisited: From the Jade Gate to Old Dragon's Head exhibition meets William Lindesay at the Capital Museum in Beijing. Raymond Zhou |
Another visitor in the throng who sought Lindesay's autograph was 65-year-old Li Wendong. "I went to school in Nankou, where the railway passes through on its way up to the Great Wall, and I've seen people carving their names on the bricks. What you have done here is so important to convince people of the need for better cultural heritage protection."
The exhibition at Beijing's new Capital Museum, titled The Great Wall Revisited: From the Jade Gate to Old Dragon's Head, the result of a four-way partnership between International Friends of the Great Wall (IFGW), Shell Companies in China, the Beijing Administration of Cultural Heritage and the Capital Museum showcases 72 pairs of "then" and "now" images of the Great Wall depicting the "same" locations, a technique called "re-photography" or "repeat photography". Original photographs from as early as 1871 are also on display, as well as antique maps of China and engravings to trace the emergence of the Great Wall image prior to the advent of modern photography.
"Re-photography allows us to look back 150 years, an epoch from then until now that has been tumultuous for both China and its Great Wall," stressed Lindesay, director of IFGW who pioneered the project.
The results are nothing short of startling. One sees the ruthlessness of nature, the dubious "beautification" of tourism, and most of all, the devastating effects of war, revolution, and misguided policies.
"The Great Wall is not like the Forbidden City, which has been guarded at all times. It would take a whole army to protect the Wall, and that army can only be people like you and me, ordinary people who will stop thoughtless people carving their names onto wall bricks and report those who tear down sections of the Wall for commercial purposes," Lindesay told a group of middle school students.
"If we don't act now, imagine what the Wall will look like in another 100 years," he remarked.
The exhibition, which runs through February 25, will later this year be set up at three museums along the Wall, in Shanhaiguan, Yulin and Jiayuguan.
Li Wendong, the retired lady, bought the book version. "It costs 210 yuan ($27), a big chunk of my pension, but I feel it's worth it. You are a foreigner, yet you have devoted so much of your time and energy to the Wall. As a Chinese, I have a stronger sense of responsibility to do our bit," she told Lindesay while holding his hands, visibly moved.
Huang Xizhen, the 61-year-old three-time visitor, tried to hold back tears. "I want to thank you for what you have done. You are the 'Bethune' of Great Wall protection," she praised Lindesay, adding: "You know of Norman Bethune, the Canadian doctor who sacrificed his life for China during World War II, don't you? It's the highest homage I can give to a foreign citizen."
(China Daily 01/30/2007 page18)
